


An Unwilling King (Is Sometimes The Best Kind)

by 16mistypaw



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Boba's Like Din's Dad, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Mand'alor, Mand'alor the Reluctant, Soft Boba Fett
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:03:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28991148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/16mistypaw/pseuds/16mistypaw
Summary: In the Aftermath of the rescue, Din tries (and fails) to get his shit together, and somehow ends up becoming Mand'alor The Reluctant.Based of a Tumblr post by echodrops. Link to post in notes.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 243
Collections: Fics_to_make_me_smile





	An Unwilling King (Is Sometimes The Best Kind)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tumblr post by Echodrops  
> -  
> https://echodrops.tumblr.com/post/640219696177856513/someone-please-write-me-a-mandalorian-fic-where  
> -  
> Also, I named the Armorer of Din's Covert. It's Hel'kar.

Bo-Katan held an icy glare when Din reached out to her, offering the Dark Saber. It was almost adding insult to injury, having it handed over like a trinket of unimportance. She refused it, stating the tradition of battling for rights, then turned away. They didn't speak again until they reached the landing bay, The Slave 1 waiting for them to board. Din had set the Saber aside, and Bo-Katan, silently raging that this man who _just didn't care_ was its new master, placed it back in his hands with a calmness she didn't feel.

"You are its master now, don't just leave it lying around." She reprimanded. Boba walked out of the ship right as Din replied, "I don’t want this Dark Saber thing! You wanted it, why don’t you just take it?"

It took only a moment to put the pieces together, and then he was laughing at their situation.

"It's not funny!" They snapped in unison, which only made him laugh more.

"Oh, but it is! The Dark Saber claimed by one who does not want it, and the Princess who can't take it back because of pride and tradition!" He Finished with a smirk. Bo-Katan seethed silently, but Din had fallen into a different sort of silence. An alarm started chiming from the cockpit, providing an opportunity. "I'm afraid it's time for us to part ways, Princess. When I see you again, it will be too soon." He turned and walked back into the ship, pausing just long enough to call behind him. "Din, I could use a hand with this."

"Sure." He clipped the Saber back to his belt and followed Boba, who closed the door behind them and directed him to the cockpit. The alarm wasn't anything urgent, quickly being silenced as Boba took the controls and motioned for Din to take the co-pilot seat.

"Alright. Wanna tell me what's running through that head of yours?" Ship engines hummed to life as the ship lifted off. "And why the kid’s not with you?"

Din was silent for a bit, and Boba waited patiently. He was good at waiting. And then he was rewarded with a grief filled sigh and an answer. 

"We saved the kid. If we hadn’t, you’d have a corpse in the brig instead of a prisoner. We were trapped on the bridge by the Dark Troopers, but were saved by a _Jetii_ who took out practically every trooper by himself. That _Jetii_ … took the kid with him. To teach him, train him in what I could not. Grogu is with his kind now, my mission is fulfilled." His voice dropped to a whisper that Boba barely caught. "I only had to lose everything in return." He sagged in exhaustion, both physical and emotional. 

Boba put a hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest, _Ad'ika_. You need it after everything that’s happened. My bunk is right in that loft." He pointed to a short ladder leading above the cockpit.

"Your bunk?"

"Unless you would rather try and sleep out there with everyone else…?"

"No… Thank you. I appreciate it." Din carefully stripped out of his armor to his clothes, mindful of the bruises he’d gotten from Gideon and the Dark Troopers. He hesitated when he got to the helmet, but then removed it as well and set it on top of the armor pile. Climbing the ladder to the loft he lay down on the worn sleeping mat. Alone in the private space, he let the silent tears fall and drifted off to sleep.

~~~

The Slave 1 landed on Nevarro on the outskirts of town, the crew unloading along with their prisoner, save for one person.

"Where’s Mando?" Cara asked. Boba shook his head.

"Resting. I’ll stay here to take care of things, you and Fennec go trade in the bounty." They left and Boba sat on the ship’s ramp, looking out at the town. He didn’t have to wait long before a disheveled Din emerged from the ship, no armor in sight save for the vambraces and weapon belt.

"Come to enjoy the view?" Din merely shrugged, sitting next to him and fingering the saber handle hanging from his belt. Eventually he unclipped it and held it up, igniting the blade and staring into it. He meant what he had told Bo-Katan: He didn’t want it. The weapon was a symbol, a burden, and worse of all, a reminder of the one he had taken it from, who had first taken everything from him.

The blade vanished, handle now resting in his lap.

"What are you going to do now? You said yourself your mission is done."

"I hadn’t thought of what would come next." Din admitted. "I think, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was hoping it would never be finished. That I would never have to let him go."

"Princess seemed to think your new mission was to retake Mandalore."

"Kriff no!" The look of horror earned a smirk from Boba. At least it was better than letting him sit and drown in his thoughts.

"What say you join Fennec and I until you decide? After all, Mandalorians are stronger together."

"I-sure, why not." He could let someone else take the lead for a bit. At least until he could get his head sorted out. They sat in a comfortable silence until Fennec returned alone, carrying a small crate. She set it in front of Din with a 'thunk'.

"Here you go. The New Republic had quite a price on his head." She stated cheerfully. "One of the largest bounties I've seen in a long time."

"All of this?" Din opened the crate full of credits in half a dozen different currencies.

"You've certainly earned it, _Ad'ika_. Taking down a Moff is no easy feat."

"No." Din took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "No, it's not."

~~~

After the stop on Nevarro, Din had tagged along with Boba and Fennec when they decided to depart. He didn't know where they were going, and at the moment, didn't much care. He sat alone in the hold, the others in the cockpit. His armor lay in front of him as he carefully cleaned each piece. When he got to the back plate he paused, pulling off the foreign object attached to it. It responded to his touch and a recording flickered to life. A short message played, the Jedi revealing his name, a contact code, and a set of coordinates.

Din didn't know when the Jedi had stuck it on him, but was glad that he did. It made him feel just a little less lost, knowing that he wasn't permanently separated from Grogu. First things first though, he couldn't be dependent on Boba forever. He needed to get a new ship of his own and reclaim his independence.

~~~

"A Kom'rk class fighter? I haven't seen one of those in years. At least, not one that actually works."

"Trust me. If I can find one, I can make it fly."

"I may happen to know someone who can find you one."

~~~

Din handed over a case of credits, taking the starter fob and paperwork in exchange. The Kom'rk fighter stood behind its new owner, a shadow of the once proud ship it used to be. He picked up his tool case, walking back over to it, and set to work getting it running.

~~~

"Let me get this straight." Peli huffed and crossed her arms stubbornly. "Your first ship got blown up, you bought a different one from some shady seller on the underground market that barely worked, and fixed it up enough to get it to me to do proper repairs on said wreck of a ship."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"No way. You're out of your mind. At least, that's what I'd normally tell someone pulling this kind of stunt. But..." Peli looked back to the run down ship with a hungry glint in her eyes. "Considering this rare gem you've brought me, I could make an exception. Better be ready to pay up, I'm gonna make this beauty of a ship look and run like new."

~~~

By the time Din returned for his ship, true to Peli's word, the Kom'rk was just like new. Vibrant blue accented the white and silver angles, making it stand out as it flew through space with a lethal grace. Anyone who knew what a Mandalorian fighter looked like knew well enough to stay away from the ghost of the past. And those who decided to try their luck quickly learned why it was a bad idea to pick a fight with a Kom'rk. At least, they would have if they had lived to learn. 

Din was on a mission to see his kid, and nothing would stand in his way of making sure he was safe. 

~~~

It was only a few days after leaving the Jedi temple that Bo-Katan had finally hunted him down. He had used the Kom'rk's communication system to send out a signal on the _Dadita_ , a coded frequency used only by Mandalorians. There had been two replies soon after. One from Bo-Katan getting a lock on his location, and the other… he didn't want to think about what that one meant just yet.

He had stopped on an out of the way planet to resupply, and upon returning to his ship found another landed next to it and Bo-Katan waiting for him. After a brief interrogation she had started trying to pick a fight. Finally he gave in, tired of dealing with her and eager to take his frustrations out physically.

The fight ended with Bo-Katan pinned to the ground, spear piercing through her coat between the armor and sinking into the dirt, leaving only a shallow cut along her shoulder where the blade had grazed her.

When he let her go, she didn't get up right away. Instead she rose to one knee, lowered her head, and said words that made his blood freeze. "Hail the Mand'alor."

_...Dank Farrik._

~~~

After the incident with Bo-Katan, she had seemingly decided to be his first loyal follower, and his personal assistant and advisor. As much as she found sadistic pleasure in his discomfort of being called Mand'alor, she really did an amazing job at her self assigned role.

It was while she was working on something at the control panel that she had discovered the second transmission Din had received. Coordinates for a specific location within Mandalorian space territory, and signed with the name Hel'kar.

"I thought you've never been to Mandalor, yet you are communicating with people there."

"I didn't know they were there."

"But you know who it is, otherwise they wouldn't have responded. So, who is this Hel'kar?"

"She is- was- the Armorer of my Covert. She kept us together, as our de facto leader." Din gave a soft, sad laugh. "All the times she scolded me for being reckless, or picking a fight with something I knew was out of my league. But while I sat through her lecture, she would be fixing whatever I had managed to break this time."

"What is she doing on Mandalor?"

"I don't know. Last time I saw her was in the tunnels of Nevarro where our Covert used to be. The Imps had raided our home, and left a pile of our armor at the entrance as a warning. She had returned to give the dead the proper send off and the respect they deserved."

For the first time since he had known her, Bo-Katan's harsh persona lifted a little to show sympathy. "I can't imagine how horrible that must have been, to find nothing left but a pile of empty armor."

Din gave a light shake of his head, as if trying to shake the memory away. "As far as i knew, anyone who survived scattered to the stars. So why would Hel'kar choose Mandalor of all places?"

"I think that's a question you should ask her in person."

"You mean- no, I'm not going to that cursed pl-" Din broke into a coughing fit as something was swiftly shoved under the edge of his helmet and sprayed in his face. He swayed and sat heavily in the nearest chair, and only moments later his eyes drifted closed.

~~~

He woke up some time later to the sound of the alarm signaling the ship was preparing to land. Whatever Bo-Katan had hit him with had been strong enough to keep him out for an entire flight. Still a little hazy he looked out the viewing glass to see where they had landed.

Scraggly plants dotted a barren landscape, growing in any patch of sand that hadn't been scorched to the point of glassing over. A single sand colored dome stood among all this, massive enough to hold a small city.

Several Mandalorian guards were approaching the now landed ship, and the largest caught his attention right away. Now wide awake he brushed past Bo-Katan, who was putting the systems into standby. Din stood at the end of the ship's ramp, waiting for their approach. The one he was watching, in heavy blue armor, stepped to the front of the group.

The two Mandalorians stared at each other for several moments, then Din lunged forward, empty handed, throwing his weight into a punch aimed for the others head. His fist was caught and they used their grip and Din's momentum to throw him over their shoulder. As he was flipped over, Din's free arm shot out and hooked around the bigger Mandalorian's head, and when he fell his weight brought both of them crashing to the ground. 

They both landed hard, knocking the breath out of them. And then they were laughing. "Din, _Su cuy'gar_!"

"Same to you, Paz." Through all of this Bo-Katan and the guards just watched, recognizing the unarmed assault as playful roughhousing. The two got back to their feet, brushing sand off their armor. "Are _Alor_ and the rest here too?"

"Those who survived. Many of us did not leave Nevarro alive. _Alor_ guided us here, said our enemies would not expect us to return to a planet they thought they’d destroyed." Din dipped his head, reminded of the loss. Paz clapped him on the shoulder. "It was for the foundling."

"For the foundling." Din echoed, lifting his head. Paz turned to the rest of the guards, and then they were being led to the domed city.

~~~

 _"Su cuy'gar, Beroya_." The Armorer set down the piece of metal she was shaping. "Where is the foundling?"

"With his kind, as I was instructed." Din replied.

"And what of you?" When no reply was forthcoming Bo-Katan answered for him, pulling the Dark Saber from Din's belt and igniting it.

"He has claimed the Dark Saber and returned to Mandalor." Din could hear the smirk in her voice as she passed the weapon into his hands.

"Well then, I believe that would make you the Mand'alor. I am at your service." Hel'kar lowered her head briefly and turned back to her work, leaving a stricken Din to be led away by his assistant.

~~~

Word spread about the return of a Mand'alor, and rumors spread even more quickly among the limited population. Din was certain Bo-Katan was the one spreading rumors of an ideal Mand'alor. A bounty hunter who had once been the main provider for his covert. Wearing pure silver Bes'kar, accompanied by a matching spear that he had used to acquire the Dark Saber in the process of rescuing his foundling.

He became known as Mand'alor the Reluctant. The result of a jab from Bo-Katan that had been overheard, and had earned the Mand'alor his title among the people. It never ceased to amaze Din how she could cause him so much trouble while remaining his most faithful supporter.

~~~

The first time Din disappeared without notice was only a week after arriving. Bo-Katan was furious.

Boba found him three days later in a bar on Tatooine, injured and drunk in a way he would never have associated with the bounty hunter. Although he could hardly blame him, after having his life uprooted and then trying to get his shit together like nothing happened. So he had taken a very drunken Din home (Jabba's Palace, which he had taken over and renamed Fett Palace), leaving Fennec to tend his wounds while he made a call. Specifically to Bo-Katan, to make it very clear that Din would not be returning until he wanted to. And if she tried to take him by force, well, there was a good reason Fett had the reputation he did.

Satisfied that particular issue was taken care of, he returned to Fennec and his charge. He had some sense to knock into the younger bounty hunter after he slept off his hangover.

~~~

"What the _kriff_ were you doing, _Ad'ika_?" Boba's irritated voice broke the morning's silence when Din finally woke up.

Din stared at him for a long moment before replying plaintively, "I don't wanna be Mand'alor."

"Then don't be."

"Huh?" This caught Din totally off guard.

"You don't want to be Mand'alor? Fine, then don't." Boba explained. "You don't owe it to anyone. Think about what _you_ want."

Din heaved himself into a sitting position to continue the conversation more comfortably. "What I want? I don't remember the last time I thought about what I want. Since I became Mandalorian, I've lived for my _Aliit_. That's my purpose, to provide for them. If I could go back to that, I would."

"So where are they now?" There was a long pause, before Din reluctantly replied.

"...Mandalor."

Boba leaned back in his chair with a huff of laughter. "Seems to me your problem is already solved. Just keep providing for them like you always have. A Mand'alor's job isn't necessarily to rule the people. It's to guide and take care of them, and lead when the need arises. By taking care of your own people, it will give opportunity for others to benefit through them. Besides, you have Princess helping you, and I'm sure you have others willing to help. Am I wrong?"

"No, You're right. The Armorer from my _Aliit_ , my _Alor_ , has also offered her support, as well as others."

Boba stood, and with a firm but gentle hand, pushed Din back down to lay on the bed.

"Get some rest and sleep off that hangover, _Ad'ika_. You can always make your decision later."

~~~

Mandalor gradually became home to Din, and to others who returned to the planet to seek refuge. And although he would frequently disappear without notice, often visiting Grogu at the temple, or Nevarro, or Fett's Palace, he would always return to Mandalor. Because that's where his _Aliit_ was, and no matter what, he would always return to them.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Definitions:
> 
> Ad'ika- Child/Son, can be endearing to any age  
> Aliit- Clan/Family  
> Alor- Leader/Chief  
> Beroya- Bounty Hunter  
> Dadita- Code used by Mandalorians- like Morse Code  
> Su cuy'gar- Mando greeting. Lit: You're still alive/You're not dead


End file.
